Oxfam Warns of Health Risks As Summer Approaches

With temperatures set to soar up to 40C in the coming
weeks, international agency Oxfam has warned that the warmer
weather will increase health-related risks for Syrian
refugees. The aid agency says the most vulnerable, such as
the elderly, women and young children, are already facing
serious health risks due to a lack of shelter, water and
basic sanitation.

As refugees continue to arrive in
Jordan and Lebanon, Oxfam says the health risks must be
urgently addressed. Increased cases of public health-related
diseases such as diarrhoea and skin infections have already
been recorded in host communities and temporary settlements
where an increasing number of refugees now live. Just in the
Beqaa Valley in Lebanon, there are now some 240 tented
settlements, six times the amount recorded in January.

The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health says more than 100
cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis, also known as the
Aleppoboil, have been diagnosed in private
clinics in the past two weeks. If left untreated, the
festering boil, can grow to a weeping wound several
centimetres in diameter. It is caused by a single-cell
parasite that is transmitted by sandfly. Access to medicine,
clean water and good hygiene practices are critical to help
treat these infections. Executive Director of Oxfam New
Zealand, Barry Coates, said: “Displaced civilians in
Syria are suffering the trauma of conflict, the wrenching
loss of having to flee their homes and the harsh conditions
within Syria or in neighbouring countries. Now they face the
challenges of heat and disease.”

Despite the
generosity of Lebanese citizens and authorities, most Syrian
refugees still have poor access to water and sanitation
facilities in Lebanon. UNHCR says it is worried that the
incidence of water-related diseases will increase in the
coming few months as a result. In MSF clinics throughout the
Beqaa Valley, 84 cases of diarrhoea have been confirmed in
April. According to the agency, the rise in case load is
expected to continue in the coming months due to lack of
clean water, inadequate sanitation and the arrival of the
hot season. International Medical Corps (IMC) in Lebanon
reported that 7 per cent of the patients were suffering from
gastro intestinal diseases and is expected to increase in
the coming weeks. Access to clean and potable water is
essential as gastro intestinal diseases can lead to
dehydration.

Oxfam, which has decades of experience in
addressing public health risks through improved access to
water and sanitation, says it is crucial to ensure funds are
in place to provide refugees with shelter, clean water and
adequate sanitation. Oxfam is aiming to raise some US$53.4
million over the next year, but so far its appeal is only
23% funded (US$10.6m).

“We are starting to really
worry about the health of Syrian refugees. Too many are
living in inadequate shelters such as an empty shopping
centre or the outskirts of a cemetery. These shelters have
no toilets, little water and garbage has started to pile up.
With high summer right around the corner, refugees living in
poor sanitary conditions are facing serious risks of
diseases,” said Rick Bauer, Regional humanitarian
coordinator for Oxfam.

“During the upcoming months
of dry summer, we need to minimise the risks and this starts
with providing refugees with proper shelter. High rental
costs in both Jordan and Lebanon are forcing thousands of
refugees to live and sleep in overcrowded, insanitary
conditions, with little privacy. The aid effort must be
properly funded and focused on providing refugees with
affordable and decent places to stay, where they can live
with dignity. That’s priority number one for refugees and
host communities alike.”

As needs continue to grow
both in Syria and host countries, the current UN appeal for
the Syria crisis is only 58 per cent funded, over US$650
million-short. The UN agencies are set to review and issue a
new call for funds for the next six months on June 7.

In
Jordan, where 55 per cent of the refugees are under the age
of 18, Syrians living in host communities are lacking the
money to buy the basics including soap and enough water for
bathing. In one tent community in West Balqa Oxfam found
that some children could only take a bath once every ten
days. Oxfam has already seen an increasing number of skin
infections especially among young children.

The aid
agency is also looking to increase its direct assistance in
Balqa and Zarqa to help refugee as well as local communities
access clean water and essential hygiene items. Oxfam will
be working closely with refugees and host communities to
introduce water conservation measures and promote hygiene
practices using less water for all residents, including
local communities. In addition, the agency is scaling up its
water and sanitation programme in Jordan’s biggest refugee
camp, Zaatari camp, to cope with the rising temperatures and
the knock-on health risks. WHO have identified dehydration,
diarrhoea and food conservation as the main risks in the
camp.

In Lebanon, the North Governorate hosts the highest
concentration of people in need of clean water and basic
sanitation. As of May 2013, some 635,000 people are in need
of assistance - both refugees and host communities – and
Oxfam says it anticipates this number to increase to over
740,000 by November 2013.

Municipalities in the Beqaa
Valley have reported to international NGOS that they were
unable to provide solid waste disposal services for the
refugees. They have called for funding to be able to assist
and make sure that garbage disposal is done on a regular
basis in makeshift camps now home to thousands of Syrian
refugees.

Bauer said: “The sad
reality is that the vast majority of Syrian refugees are not
going home soon. It is also crystal clear that host
communities in Lebanon and Jordan need urgent help. Both
countries have shown incredible solidarity and generosity in
welcoming refugees, but they need help dealing with serious
health risks and the possibility of diseases which will
affect refugees and host communities alike in the coming
months.

“During the summer months, people need
secure water supplies for good hygiene practices and prevent
common diseases. But if aid groups and local authorities are
to be able to increase their programs, they need more funds.
There is no way around it. Providing safe water, appropriate
sanitation facilities and access to health care is costly.
It’s time for the key donors to wake up and face that
reality.”

Coates concluded: “Now, more than
ever, the Syrian people need our support. Please be
generous.”

Oxfam is calling on New Zealanders to
donate to the Syria Conflict Appeal. Donate by visiting www.oxfam.org.nz/syria
or by calling 0800 400
666.

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